Forever My King
by Frog-Lizard
Summary: Lizard: Kilvas was being taken from him, yet he was still her king, and it was her job to save him, even from himself. NaesalaxOC Some OOCness. May choose to continue


_Lizard: I was just suddenly inspired to write this. I haven't even finish RD yet, so excuse any mistakes on my part. This is a NaesalaxOC story in which Naesala has some _major_ OOC moments, at least in my opinion. Ye have been warned._

_Anywho, I've always loved Naesala and wondered what he must have felt like when he left his post as king. So this little one-shot emerged. I've had other ideas for after the uniting of Kilvas and Pheonicias, but I'm not sure if I would want to continue this, though if anyone asks me to I will consider._

_On with the story!!

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Aria walked silently down the dark halls of Castle Kilvas. It seemed so quiet as of late, ever since they had learned that King Tibarn of the hawks would be the new king of all the bird tribes. Terror had spread throughout Kilvas, especially considering the things they had done to the hawk tribe. Tibarn was not known for listening to excuses, and anyways, how could they excuse the horrors dealt to so many hawk innocents.

The female raven grimaced at the memory. As part of Naesala's personal guard she had taken out several Pheonician nobles with her beak. She would never shake the feeling of guilt that plagued her at the very thought of the attack. Turning another corner a misplaced shadow caught her eye. Aria peered out onto a balcony and was surprised to realize that the shadow was, in fact, Naesala himself.

"My King?" she winced when she realized what she had just said.

Naesala turned to look at her then laughed humorlessly, "King...ha, not anymore."

He turned back to the night sky and Aria cautiously approached, "_Naesala_," she emphasized the word carefully, "Is there anything wrong?"

He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke it was with tremendous pain, "I failed Kilvas. I was never meant to be king."

She gasped, "My lord! You are the best king Kilvas has ever had! You-"

"You mean 'were' and 'had', and you don't have to call me that."

Aria bit her lip, "My king...please don't correct me again, I know that in the eyes of outsiders you are not royalty anymore, but I swore my life to you, I will not throw away that promise so easily. No matter who claims to rule over us, you are still our king."

Again Naesala didn't speak for a moment then he slowly turned to her, "Will you accompany me to the shrine?"

A bit taken aback, she agreed. He nodded his thanks then took off from the balcony, his aide right behind him. Through the wars it was Aria who would watch over the country while Naesala was away, and it was Aria who accompanied him everywhere before failing health had prevented her from going any long distance. Now she shone with vitality again, just in time to see the fall of her country. He had said he had failed the country, and this he believed to be true, but even more disturbing was the thought that he had failed _her_.

With all the elegance of their race the pair landed at the base of the canyon by which the Castle was built. Mist from the waterfall surrounded them and soft moss covered the ground. A deep pool was at the bottom of the 'falls and at the far edge carved into the wall were two statues: Yune and Ashera. The figures were old and covered with moss, but behind the curtain of water there was a eerie beauty about them.

"I haven't been here in a long time," Naesala murmured, his voice distant.

Aria glanced at him worriedly, "Nor have I. What drew you to this place, You Majesty?"

He barely seemed to notice the title, "For generations our people came here to mourn, so it is with me now," Aria stared at him in horror, "I ordered the death of our own kin the hawks, betrayed my brethren, I even sold my own friend into slavery--"

Without thinking, Aria grabbed his arm, "My king! Please stop, you ruled well, what could you do? We were trapped in a corner with nowhere to go, yet never did any of Kilvas' citizens complain! Please, our ancestors' ways are not the way to mourn, we still need you!"

He closed his eyes, "They used to cast themselves into the pool, correct? Yes, that's it."

Aria stared at him, could her beloved king be losing his mind, "Please my King, stop torturing yourself," when he didn't reply she took a breath and started singing.

For several minutes her clear voice echoed off the stone walls, an ancient lullaby of the ravens, sung in the old tongue. Her liege seemed calmed by it, and he started to relax again. However, without warning, Naesala's body shuddered and he collapsed. Aria gasped and cut off the song, kneeling by his side.

"M-my lord?" she whimpered softly.

He groaned and opened his eyes, "Sorry," he muttered weakly.

She bit her lip, "My king, when did you last eat? Or sleep for that matter." she asked, noticing the dark circle under his eyes and how thin he had become.

He just shrugged and struggled to get up. Gently she helped him to his feet and steadied him as he swayed.

"You need rest, let's go," she said sternly, then added at his hesitation, "_Now._"

He didn't resist this time and they flew back up to the city, Aria keeping an eye on him the whole way. Finally in his old quarters, the female all but forced Naesala into bed. Despite his uncharacteristically weak protestations he was asleep within minutes. The girl looked down at him fondly.

"Oh, Naesala," she murmured, brushing some of his usually well-kept hair out of his face, "Why must you hurt yourself? You always pretended not to care, yet really you car too much."

She gently rubbed his back, smoothing out the tense muscles. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of the pain he must be in, having to give up the throne he had dedicated himself to. They had grown up together, and she had sworn her life to him, now she would die protecting him, even if it was from himself.

"Aria?" he mumbled sleepily. His fingers reached back to find her hand on his shoulder. He gave it a weak squeeze.

"Yes, your highness?"

He rolled over so he could see her, "Thanks."

His aide smiled sadly, "Of course your highness."

He didn't here though, as he was already asleep. Aria smiled slightly and quietly left the room.

* * *

She returned the next morning with a platter of food and walked over to check on him. Gently shaking his shoulder woke him easily and he looked at her groggily.

"I brought you food, my king," she indicated the table, but he seemed preoccupied with something else.

Still blinking drowsily he frowned and placed a hand on her cheek, "Why are you crying?"

She sighed, "I'm not crying your majesty." She had lied, yes, but there was no reason to cause him any more worry.

Naesala stared at her a moment then slowly pulled her down to him and held her against his chest, his face buried in her black and red hair, "Everything will turn out alright."

A bit startled at the sudden close contact, Aria managed to laughed faintly, "So now you pick up some optimism," he chuckled, "I know it will, it's just-"

She couldn't finish as sobs took hold of her. Naesala gently hushed her and stroked her hair. After a few minutes she had calmed down and he pulled back a bit, "Kilvas will be in good hands, I'll make sure of it."

She looked at him a moment, "And I shall personally see to it that _you_ are in good hands as well."

He laughed, "Your hands, no doubt," he pulled her close, "I hope so."

Aria relaxed into his warm embrace, "Of course, your majesty."

"Don't call me that."

"Very well."

She pressed her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat for. Everything would be alright, and even if it wasn't, she had the one person she would die for, and, more importantly, she would live for.

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_And that's that. So, what did ya think? I love feedback, but no flames._

_If you want this to be continued, I will consider, but not if just like one person asks me to. So R&R people! Thanks for reading!_

_LIZARD OUT_


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